Using research conducted by the Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, this brief provides an overview of the goals of cost-effectiveness analysis, the evidence thus far on the cost-effectiveness of different strategies to prevent obesity in the places where very young children live, learn, and play, and the evidence that is still needed for informed decision-making.

Reports of lead contamination have emerged in schools and communities across the country. The focus on this issue is deserved: even at low levels, lead exposure is harmful, especially for young children. A new report from the Prevention Research Center on Nutrition and Physical Activity at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California examines states’ approaches to testing school drinking water for lead and finds notable variation in states’ efforts.

Retailers and other organizations use a variety of nutrition standards and recommendations to identify healthier, or “Better-For-You” foods. Healthy Eating Research convened a scientific advisory committee to review existing “Better-For-You” nutrition standards, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses.

The goal of this national research agenda is to outline research gaps and opportunities for researchers, foundations, and practitioners to pursue in order to reduce sugary drink consumption and increase safe water access and consumption among 0- to 5-year-olds.

Partnering with HER and building on the recent report, Feeding Guidelines for Infants and Young Toddlers: A Responsive Parenting Approach, 1,000 Days has launched a series of bite-sized videos on one of the biggest questions parents have: how to introduce solid foods.

Over the last six years, efforts to strengthen policies, systems, and environments to promote health and prevent obesity have become more robust and widespread. These efforts include updates to federal policies and programs, state regulations, local policies, and evidence-based guidance. The goal of the current research review is to provide the most up-to-date information on the impact of these changes in policies, systems, and environments aimed at promoting a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and reducing screen time in young children in the ECE setting.

Research & Publications

Novel approaches to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption during the first 1,000 days – pregnancy through age 2 years – are urgently needed. This study examined perceptions of SSB consumption and acceptability of potential intervention strategies to promote SSB avoidance in low income families in the first 1,000 days. Themes … More

Early childhood is an important period for interventions to prevent obesity, before poor diet and physical activity behaviors become entrenched and related chronic diseases develop. To date there are still few programs that have been evaluated using experimental study designs that demonstrate impacts on young children’s weight. As a result, … More

In December 2018, Congress passed a new farm bill which included a reauthorization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program. This brief summarizes the findings of a recent qualitative evaluation of FINI, which concludes that the program has benefits for consumers, farmers and … More

This Brief summarizes select characteristics of state-level policies and programs to test for lead in school drinking water. It is based on a study from researchers at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of California Nutrition Policy Institute. The full results of the study, … More

Fast Fact

Healthy Eating Research

Healthy Eating Research is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). The program supports research on environmental and policy strategies with strong potential to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among lower-income and racial and ethnic populations at highest risk for obesity.